Building Beyond Walls

Nehemiah stands as a timeless example of visionary leadership and unwavering faith. He received a message from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and to restore honor and dignity to the people of Israel.

Through God’s power, Nehemiah stayed focused on the truth and the task at hand, despite facing countless false accusations, relentless mocking, and terrifying threats. He took on this divine assignment not for recognition but because the Lord led him. He sought God’s guidance through consistent conversations with him, allowing the Lord to transform his desires.

He even established systems of governance that ensured the sustainability of the rebuilt city. His commitment to building beyond his immediate project emphasizes the importance of considering the futures of the people we lead.

This practice deeply resonates with me when it comes to missions. While traveling and serving with my missionary father, I’d see missionaries do good work in the present but forget about the future of the people they served. Some teams would work in an area for several months, but once they left, the people returned to poverty and hopelessness. This outcome frustrated me.

Our efforts to help people must result in a sustainable plan for long-term change and empowerment. But without the Lord’s guidance, no missionary can ever hope to do this. A leader risks devastating their relationships and family when they choose to take on a task without the blessing of God.

We have to ask ourselves: Is this project a good idea or a God idea? Are we following the leading of the Holy Spirit? What is the true motive behind our work?

Strategic leadership is born in the secret place of prayer, where God saturates our hearts in passion and compels us to see his vision fulfilled. Remember, prayer is not preparation for the battle—it is the battle. Strategic plans gain potency when we saturate them in prayer because God is in control of the plan instead of us.

May we place our time, energy, and hearts into the plans and desires that come from the Lord.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that I will glean transformative insights from Nehemiah’s leadership journey. May I, like Nehemiah, build with purpose, lead with prayerful wisdom, confront opposition with unwavering faith, and foster unity among those you would have me lead. Amen.

I am inspired to build with vision, integrity, and an enduring commitment to God’s life-changing purposes.